The
Volcano Town, in Big Island, Hawaii. That's where I belong. Leaving reality,
with all its traffic, materialism, the obligation to know which are the right
shoes for the perfect dress, the obligation to see that your skin
is in order, hair without knots and not tied up in some old worn out cap which
would make girls whisper behind your back. The discontent and highly
superficial world is what I want to leave behind and stay where there is calm,
abundance of everything but greed.
I
have dreamed of this place while sleeping tucked into my bed in Mumbai, India
where the next day is expected to join the same rut of noise, fashion, work and
escaping from household logistics. Thus, escaping from reality of life. However,
in my dreams I faced reality head on. God, especially when it was so far from
real. I dreamed of exactly this. The Volcano Village Lodge is what inspired me
to pen down my thoughts. It is situated in the town of Volcano, in Big Island,
Hawaii. I have with all my heart, loved all my holidays and trips far from
home. All my vacations seemed to have fulfilled my wishes of getting away just
right. Nonetheless, this place was home. It was nothing like my home back in
India but it fit perfectly in the puzzle of knowing where you belong.
The
Volcano Village Lodge as the name suggests is a tiny lodge right in the middle
of the rain forest. The Volcano National Park is five minutes away by car or Jeep (goes with the mood of green). The Kileau Volcano is the most active out
of the five volcanoes that together form the island of Hawaii and, perhaps, the
most active volcano on earth. The volcano is the only one in the world that is
active enough to be fascinating, docile enough to be harmless and monitored
enough to be approachable. One can see the constant flow of steam emerging from
the caldera. The same sight at night is breath taking. You can see the lava
waiting right there, staying still and gauging. It is interesting how Hawaii
owes its existence to these volcanoes that were responsible for taking the lives
of countless Hawaiian warriors. So ironic but still the circle of life.
Well,
turns out these volcanoes are even responsible for creating something that’s
well beyond imagination. Let me slide through the rhythm of my words and the
images they have running through my mind. The trees, the crisp quality of air,
the mushy grounds still wet from last night’s shower, the soft morning sunlight
that makes every inanimate object alive as is lays its wholesome body on it,
the sound of gravel as the jeep turns into the garage, the pitch dark, the star
streaked nights, the need for torches, the sound of shoes on wooden flooring,
the smells, the crunch of grass, the thickness you see right outside the lodge;
these are the things to cherish, to hold close, breathe deeply into, to take
into your system and breathe out again and see it live, right before you, all
there, all yours.
Why be here when you can be anywhere else? The answer is what you see before you. Or rather, what you just cannot see but need to feel, to take in and digest. To realise that it is the wild out there but the safest place in the world to grow up; untouched and poured to the rim with innocence. I have never been here before except in dreams. Never lived in such a place or in its likes. That’s exactly why it shouldn't have felt like coming back home from a trip, like waking up from a dream.
I had seen some brochures and travel logs of
this place but I knew they couldn't have prepared me for this sweep, for this
contrast of deep, silent woods and wildly regal volcano peaks. I know that none
born on this earth have a say as to their earthly heritage but I know where I’d
end up if I did. Right here, on this rocking chair, overlooking the forest,
with my feet in the snug bedroom slippers still warm from the fire lit in the
room.
